Awards, Apr 03, 2008

The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas:

Arts. Carnegie Hall (New York) has presented its Medal of Excellence to Terry J. Lundgren, chief executive officer of Macy’s, the department-store chain based in New York. The prize is awarded annually to a business leader who has demonstrated a philanthropic commitment to the arts.

Community service. Volvo Cars of North America (Rockleigh, N.J.) has presented its 2008 Volvo for Life Awards, which honor “unsung heroes” working to improve the environment, quality of life, and safety. Each award carries a $100,000 prize to be donated to a charity chosen by the winner. The top prize in the competition went to Marilyn Adams, who founded Farm Safety 4 Just Kids (Earlham, Iowa) after her 11-year-old son was killed by unsafe farm equipment. She was also the winner in the safety category. The winner in the environment category is Lorraine Kerwood, executive director of NextStep Recycling (Eugene, Ore.), which refurbishes and distributes used computers for poor people. The winner in the quality-of-life category is Matthew Sanford, founder of Mind Body Solutions (Orono, Minn.), a charity that offers yoga programs at companies and community centers as well as at yoga studios, particularly for people who are paralyzed or have other disabilities.

Volvo also announced finalists in each category, who receive $25,000 apiece for their programs. The finalists in the environment category are Zander Srodes of Cape Haze, Fla., who gives educational presentations on sea-turtle conservation, and Charles Turner, who founded the Blackwater-Nottoway Riverkeeper Program (Sedley, Va.), which encourages people to monitor the river for signs of pollution. The finalists in the quality-of-life category are John Dau of Syracuse, N.Y., who has raised $700,000 to improve health care and literacy in southern Sudan, and Darius Weems, whose documentary Darius Goes West follows his cross-country trip to raise money for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research. The finalists in the safety category are Ronald Dunon, who founded the AED Fund of Kalamazoo County (Mich.) to help poor people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest, and Jeff Payne, whose Driver’s Edge program teaches Las Vegas youths to drive safely and avoid car accidents.

In addition, Volvo announced the winner of the Alexandra Scott Butterfly Award, which honors a young person who leads philanthropic efforts. Zach Bonner, who founded the Little Red Wagon Foundation (Valrico, Fla.) to collect backpacks filled with food and school supplies and donate them to needy children, received the $25,000 prize, which will be contributed to the charity of his choice.

Health. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Princeton, N.J.) and the Changemakers program at Ashoka: Innovators for the Public (Arlington, Va.) have announced the winners of the online competition Young Men at Risk: Transforming the Power of a Generation. Alternative Realities (Mumbai, India) was honored for its efforts to get homeless youths to collaborate with coalitions of churches, government agencies, and nonprofit groups that help the youths create documentaries, theatrical pieces, and other works of art. Roots of Empathy (Toronto) teaches young men social skills in order to reduce violence and bullying in schools. Taller San Jose (Calif.) works with impoverished youths and helps them avoid drugs, gangs, and criminal behavior by teaching them skills and connecting them with jobs. Each program has received a $5,000 prize to continue its efforts.